Direct current welding apparatus



Patented Jan. 26, -1937 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFl'cE hoven, Netherlands, assigner to N. V. Gloeilampenfabrieken, Eindhoven,

Philips Netherlands Application April 1, 1932, Serial No, 602,579 In Germany May 26, 1931 i 2 claims. (c1. .21e-8) My invention relates to welding apparatus and more particularly to a novel welding apparatus for direct-current operation.

For electric welding both alternating and directcurrents are used. When Welding withfalternating current, as a rule a welding transformer is used. However, on account of the large and highly irregular load occurring in the welding operation and due to the fact that the transformer operates only on a single phase of the network, .the power stations usually prohibit their connection to the regular network. The use of welding transformers is therefore more or less restricted to factories which have their own powerplants or at least their own high-tension transformer.

Furthermore, the welds obtained with alternating current as a rule are inferior to those obtained with direct current and therefore it is preferable to use direct current for welding.

As the regular power supply is generally alternating current the welding apparatus for direct current requires some means of rectification and such rectification for direct current Welding is as a rule achieved by ymeans of rotary converters. However, the initial cost oi' such converters is very high and besides, such apparatus has all of the inconveniences inherent in rotating apparatus.

For the reasons above set forth, no suitable welding apparatus has been so far available for small plants and one object of my invention is to provide a suitable low-priced direct current Welding apparatus to meet this need, which apparatus at the same time has small operating losses and provides for a symmetrical loading of a three-phase network.

The direct current welding apparatus, according to the invention, comprises one or more gasfilled incandescible cathode rectifying tubes for the supply of the D. C. welding current.

While it has been already proposed` to use rectifying tubes in connection with electric welding, such rectifying tubesv were used not for the supply but for the control of the welding current. For such purpose use has been made of rectifying tubes having positive characteristics in which tubes the voltage drop greatly increases with increasing load, so that the current is prevented from rising beyond a predetermined value.

Also for controlling the welding current, use

has been made of tubes in which the temperature of the incandescent cathode was regulated.

In the high-vacuum tubes suggested for such use, the current is almost exclusively carried by electrons. and thus such tubes are only suitable for quite small currents and cannot supply the large currents required for welding.

In the welding apparatus according to the invention the rectifier tubes serve exclusively for the supply of the direct current for the welding, 5 and the intensity of the current is controlled by other means. 'I'he tube as stated, comprises a gaseous filling and an incandescible cathode and it has been found that only under such conditions can satisfactory welding results to obtained 10 with rectiflers.

A welding apparatus according to the invention not only provides an inexpensive and simple apparatus which combines the general advantages of direct current welding With balanced 15 loading of a three-phase network-but also gives quite unforeseen and unexpected` advantages.` Such unexpected advantages seem at least partly due to the fact that the character of the welding are obtained with the apparatus of the invention is unusually favorable.

For instance, it has been found that the apparatus according to the invention makes it possible to Weld thinner metal sheets than has been possible with welding dynamos or welding transformers.

Again, various materials can be welded together or the welding of parts of Acertain shape is rendered possible, in cases where the prior welding apparatus altogether failed.

Again, it is possible in many instances to use o with my novel Welding apparatus the inexpensive bare (or unprotected) electrodes, whereas for similar work with the prior arc welding apparatus, the much more expensive, coated electrodes-electrodes the surface of which is coated with a substance promoting the welding processwere needed.

f Again, with the apparatus according to my invention, the sticking of the electrodes; i. e. their welding to the work-piece, is prevented, whereas this is a frequent and objectionable occurrence in present-day welding apparatus.

, Some of these advantages of the present invention are at least partly due to the fact that a the gas-filled hot cathode rectifier tubes have an almost negligibly'small inertia and thus the supplied current can rapidly follow the variations of the load.

A still further unexpected andsurprising advantage of my apparatus is that a stable arc can be obtained at a much lower no-load voltage than is the casewith a welding dynamo or welding transformer.. Consequently. the personal safety of the operator is increased, whereas at the same time the power factor of the be explained more fully hereafter with reference vinstallation is improved and the dimensions of to the accompanying drawing, which represents the apparatus can be smaller. by way of examplev one embodiment thereof.

v While it has already been suggested to use for In the drawing forming part of the specificathe supply of the direct current for the welding tion: 5 operation mercury vapor rectiers having a liq- Figure 1 is a. circuit diagram of a welding apuid mercury cathode, such rectiers are not paratus according to the invention;

satisfactory inwelding operations and the vari- Figure 2 is a diagrammatic side view showing ous above-mentioned advantages resulting from a transportable welding apparatus according to the use of an apparatus having a gas-filled in- 'fthe invention.

candescible cathode rectier cannot be obtained Referring to Figure 1, the primary winding with such mercury arc rectiers. of a three-phase main transformer I is connect- An apparatus using a mercury cathode reced through a switch 2 to a three-prong connecttiiier compares unfavorably with the presenting vplug 3, which serves forconnecting the ap'- day welding transformer' or welding dynamo, paratus to the three-phase network. AConnected l5 among others fon account of its low efliciency. between two of the phases, in their portionfall- The voltage drop in such mercury vapor recing between the plug 3 and-thel switch 2, is the tiiers is'quite high compared with the voltage oi primary winding 4 of a heating transformer. the weldingarc, the former being about 23 volts Each of the three phases of the secondary and the latter about 22 volts. winding 5 of the transformer I is provided with 20 Bisregarding any further loss, the emciency of a center tap by means of which arrangement a such an apparatus would have to be less than 6-phase winding is obtained. 50%. On the other hand, in a gas-filled incan- Three gas-lled rectiflers i are provided, each Y descent cathode rectifier the voltage drop can comprising two anodes 6-6 and an incandescible 25 be less than 10 volts, so that efficiencies of 69% cathode.8 which is preferably an oxide cathode. 25 and more can be obtained. The two ends of each. phase of the secondary Besides that the mercury vapor rectifier rewinding 5 are connected across the twoanodes quires auxiliary equipment, among other things 6 of one of the three rectifiers'l, and the seca separate igniting device, which further reduces ondary winding 9 of the heating transformer 4 the efclency and whichis highly objectionable is connected across the three cathodes 8. 30 in operation as the arc must be frequently re- The three center-taps of ethe phases of the established. No lsuch ig'niting device vis required secondary win'ding 5 are connected through fuses for. gas-filled incandescent cathode rectirlers. I0 to a common conductor leading to a welding Furthermore, an apparatus according to the inelectrode II. The secondary winding 9 of the vention can be conveniently used as a portable heating ransfrmer4. is also provided with a 35 apparatus, which is not the case with a mercury center tap which is connected to the workarc rectifier, and its dimensions may be much piece I2. smaller than those of the latter. In the embodiment shown' the three rectiflers Nor is the operation of the hot cathode gasmay together supply a welding current of, for

4o iilledrectifier dependent upon the ambientteminstance, 120'amps. The adjustment of the curw perature, as is the case for the mercury vapor rent intensity is obtained with the aid of a chokerectifier. n Y coil i3 connected to the primaryside of the transvAnother objectionable characteristic of the4 former I, the adjustment being obtained by varymercury arc rectifier when used for weldingr is' ing the air-gap of the choke-coil by the aid of a 45. that its load cannot be reduced below a value movable yoke I4. 4,5 of about one-quarter of the full load. No such To prevent thef discharge from being initiated limitation exists in the case of hot cathode gas-g, while, the cathodes are still cold and thus causing filled rectiiiers and awelding apparatus using local overheating o n some points of the cathode, such rectifier has therefore a wide operating which would considerably reduce the life of the range. cathode, it is preferable to providemeans, for in- 50 The incandescent cathode employed 'in Va. recstance a relay, which insures that the discharge tier tube in the welding apparatus according to through the rectiiierican only take place after my invention, is preferably an oxide cathode. its cathode has been brought up to its full oper- Oxide cathodes afford further advantages in conating temperature.`

nection with such welding apparatus for the fol- For this purpose the heating transformer 4 is 55 lowing reasons: During the welding operation connected ahead of the switch 2 and this switch 'the welding apparatus remains usually electriis controlled bythe following relay arrangement. cally connected during the, time intervals of 'no- The switch 2 is connected to the armature I9 of load. For convenient operation, the cathode of I a magnet, the coil I8vof which may be excited v the rectifier has therefore also`to remain heatthrough a. branch circuit connected to two phases gg edV during such no-load intervals. The operating of the network in their portion falling 'between vtemperature of an oxide cathode is so low that the plug 3 and the switch 2. This branch cirthe heating of the cathode hardly affects its ycuit goes from one phase'througha heating elelife, and in addition it requires only a very small ment I5, a resistance I1 and the coil I8 back to Q5 heating energy. Thus there'is no drawback in the other phase. 'I'he current so flowing through 55 retaining the cathode at its operating tempera coil I8 is yet insuicient-to attract the armature ture also during the rio-load intervals. l I9. However, the heating wire I5 heats up a bi- To obtain a symmetrical load, as stated above, metallic body `IIi and the latterNwhen so heated,

it is advantageous to construct the apparatus in causes a contact 20 to contact with a'lxed consfuch a manner that the recticatioxi of the three tact 2l, thereby fully orpartly short-circuiting 70 t or more phases of the alternating current takes thewresstance I1. This permits a sufliciently place whereby vthe load is symmetrically dislarge current to flow through the coil I8 to cause tributed over 'the phases. attraction ofthe armature I9 and the closurev of In order that theinvention may be clearly the switch i '7ggl understoodarid readily can'ied into eifect. it will The switch 2 isalso provided with an additionalf contact 22 which, when the switch 2 is closed, short-circuits contacts 20 and 2| and directly connects the coil I8 across the two phases. Theswitch 2 is thus retained closed until is disconnected from the network.

The general arrangement of a transportable welding apparatus according to the invention is shown in Fig. 2 where the previously referred to component parts are designated by the same reference numerals as have been employed in Fig. 1.

-The apparatus is surrounded by a housing 23 having wheels 24, handles 25 and feet 26.

It is advantageous to cool the rectifying tubes with the aid of a suitable fan as a given size rectiier tube can be used for a higher current output when it is cooled than when it is not cooled.

4For instance, the fan may be disposed below the rectifier tubes and if for instance, the rectifier tubes are adapted to supply 120 amps. when not cooled, they may supply 200 amps. or more, when cooled. To this end the cathodes of the rectifier tubes are also given larger dimensions.

'I'he air current produced by the fan may be also used for the cooling of the transformers so that the latter may also carry'a higher load.

the plug 3 What I claim as new and desire'to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A portable D. C. welding apparatus comprising, a three-phase supply line, a three-phase supply transformer having primary windings and secondary windings, three 'gas-filled rectifier tubes each having two anodes connected to the ends of one of said secondary windings and an oxide-cathode, a heating transformer for said cathodes having a primary winding connected to one phase of said supply line, inductive means connected in series with said primary windings to regulate the slope of the current-voltage curve of said rectiiiers and the intensity of the welding current, timing means to prevent flow of current in said supply transformer until the cathodes are heated to their operating temperature, said timing means being supplied with controlling current from a phase of said supply line other than the phase to which said heating transformer is connected, said timing means and heating transformer also serving to prevent the flow of welding current upon failure of any phase of the supply line.

2. A direct-current portable welding apparatus comprising a `supply transformer having three primary windingsadapted to be connected to the ordinary three-phase supply lines and three secondary windings having mid-taps connected together and to a welding electrode, three gas-illlod rectifier tubes, each tube having a thermionic cathode and two anodes connected to the ends of one ofisaid secondary windings, a heating transformer having a primary winding connected across one phase of the supply line and a secondary winding connected across said cathodes and having. a mid-tap connected to a work-piece,`

n means to control vthe slope of the voltage-current output curve of said rectiiiers and the intensity of .the welding current, said means comprising an adjustable inductance having a coil in series with each of said supply-transformer primary windings to uniformly vary the inductances of said coils, means to prevent application of voltage to said Supply transformer until said cathodes have reached their operating temperature comprising a relay having three normally-open contacts each connected in series with one of the supply-transformer secondary windings and an actuating coil, a time-delay device comprising a coil, said two coils being connected in series across a phase of said supply lin'es other than the phase across which said heating transformer is connected, said relay and heating-transformer jointly preventing ow of welding current upon failure of any phase of said supply lines.

HENDRIK ABRAHAM Y. WIJNAND KLINKHAMER. 

